Treasurer Torsella Searches For Purple Heart Recipents

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Treasurer Joe Torsella announced today, on the observance of Purple Heart Day, that Treasury holds 16 unclaimed Purple Heart medals and 18 Purple Heart pins, ribbons, and other related decorations for the veterans who earned the distinguished service award or their rightful heirs.

“The Purple Heart may be the clearest symbol of American military sacrifice, and each unclaimed Purple Heart in Treasury’s possession should be cherished by the service members that earned them, and by their families. That is why — as the steward of Pennsylvanians’ lost or missing property — I am deeply committed to finding the veterans whose acts were deemed worthy of this decoration.”

Pennsylvania Treasurer, Joe Torsella

Since Treasurer Torsella took office, Treasury has returned 40 service decorations, some of which have been in Treasury’s custody for decades, including four Purple Hearts, to the rightful owners. Treasury continues to search for the owners of over 500 unclaimed military awards.

Often times, Purple Hearts are reported to Treasury with little or no details about their origins. One thing is certain, however: these medals represent immeasurable sentimental value and we will utilize every tool available to us to find the owners or their heirs,”

Pennsylvania Treasurer, Joe Torsella

Unclaimed property also includes items such as abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, uncashed checks, and contents of safety deposit boxes. Under Pennsylvania law, entities are required to report any financial asset that has gone unclaimed for a period of time — usually three years — to Treasury.

This summer, Treasury announced the historic return of $269 million in unclaimed property to Pennsylvanians, as well as the signing into law of the “lost contact” policy – a standard that will strengthen consumer protections and better protect Pennsylvanians’ investment accounts.

Potential claimants may search Treasury’s website for unclaimed property. Treasury’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property is also available toll-free at 1-800-222-2046 and via email at tupmail@patreasury.gov, to help conduct a thorough search for unclaimed property.

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